AUSTIN, Texas — There’s still plenty to play for if you're Iowa State.

The Cyclones aren't headed to the Big 12 title game, which is a big disappointment. But there’s still a lot on the line. There's still some school history and still a resume to pad.

The most likely landing spot for the 18th-ranked Cyclones, who fell Saturday night 24-10 at No. 14 Texas, is a trip to the Camping World Bowl on Dec. 28 in Orlando, Fla. It’s not the desired destination for the Cyclones, who had bigger aspirations to begin the day. But it’s still a solid bowl. Winning against Kansas State next week could help the Cyclones lock that up.

And there's more. Iowa State's five wins in Big 12 play matches a school record. A sixth against the Wildcats would etch this Iowa State team in the school record books. A nine-win campaign is still in play.

"Our season isn't over," said Iowa State running back David Montgomery.

One of the biggest barometers for Iowa State’s success under coach Matt Campbell has been an ability to stay in most games. Even Iowa State’s first three losses this season were by 10 points or less. But Saturday was a rare clunker.

Iowa State fell into an early deficit and never could overcome it during its worse loss since a 49-19 blowout to West Virginia in the 2016 season finale. Saturday's result was much worse than the score woulld indicate.

Texas was in complete control for most of the night and even played things safe for most of the second half. By the time David Montgomery reached the end zone with a 4-yard rushing touchdown late in fourth quarter, the game had long been decided.

"The better football team tonight won the football game," Campbell said.

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The trenches were Iowa State’s biggest issues. The offensive line couldn’t protect Brock Purdy or open up running lanes. Although the offensive line has made massive strides throughout the season, Saturday was another reminder that the group still has a long way to go.

The line never could handle the constant pressure Texas' defense brought. And the defensive front had its own issues. Texas’ offensive line was able to get huge pushes and open up big running lanes, leading to big play after big play among 179 rushing yards.

"I thought this game was a game that was going to come down to physicality and quite honestly, they were the more physical football team," Campbell said.

Not having Montgomery for a half was a big blow. That's obvious. He's one of Iowa State's biggest stars.

But Iowa State never could get any ground momentum, period. Montgomery sat out that first half from a suspension following his ejection in the Baylor game. Kene Nwangwu and Johnnie Lang showed some signs of potential.

Nonetheless, it was an obvious dropoff from No. 1 to Nos. 2 and 3 on Iowa State's depth chart.

Even worse, Montgomery (10 carries, 33 yards) couldn't be utilized to his full potential as Iowa State had to abandon much of the running game with Texas already building up a 17-3 lead by halftime.

"David did everything he could possibly do to impact the game when he got himself back out there," Campbell said. "The unfortunate part of it is you're playing a different kind of football game when you're down 14 when he came into the game."

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Iowa State running back David Montgomery talks about missing the first half of Saturday's game against Texas.
Tommy Birch, tbirch@dmreg.com

Pressuring Brock Purdy Purdy was the Texas gameplan. The Longhorns are never afraid to dial up pressure.

Yet they took it up a notch in an attempt to rattle Iowa State's true freshman quarterback in his toughest road test. It worked.

Purdy was constantly on the run and ended up being sacked five times. It wasn't all on him, however. Iowa State's offensive line can carry the blame.

Purdy also struggled on his own, too, completing 10 of 23 passes, including one interception that bounced off the hands of wide receiver Landen Akers.

Purdy came out of the game after one of the numerous hard hits by Texas. He was replaced by Kyle Kempt in the fourth quarter.

"I think Brock will be fine," Campbell said. "I think he's just kind of dinged up. There was a lot going on. A lot of pressure that he felt throughout the game. I think more than anything, I just wanted to get Kyle into the game and see if we could settle some things down."

The departure of Eyioma Uwazurike really showed up Saturday. Iowa State’s inability to get good pressure on the quarterback was evident at times against Baylor. Ultimately, it didn’t matter as the Cyclones secured a 28-14 win that week.

But Uwazurike’s abscene was sorely missed Saturday as Iowa State struggled to get any pressure on Sam Ehlinger before he got hurt. Backup Shane Buechele had a mostly easy time of it when he came in.

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Hakeem Butler on what went wrong for Iowa State against Texas
Tommy Birch, tbirch@dmreg.com